Feature: Learning & Development
Helping your staff to
It’s a widely held belief that a company’s biggest asset is its people and while it is one thing having great employees, it’s another giving them the backing and the tools to reach their potential and do so while making a positive long-term impact on your organisation – and not somebody else’s. From an on-the-ground, practical perspective, employees are essential to the day-to-day running of operations at all levels of an organisation. Perhaps equally as important is that employees are custodians of a company’s values. Staff must embrace and be an embodiment of a company’s mission statement, customer charter, set of visions and corporate goals. Without buy-in, such statements, no matter how good they may sound, can lack credibility.
Indeed, in an ever-changing business world, the skillset of a business’s workforce can be the difference between a successful, productive organisation and one that falls behind. To stay competitive means you need good people with the right skills who, crucially, feel valued, appreciated and supported. Gone are the days when an employee is left to do his or her job with little thought or interest given as to how they can develop and enhance not just their own careers but also that of the business they represent. In an article originally published on LinkedIn, Alicia Williams, Senior Administrator, Human Resources, at the Bermuda Monetary Authority, states: “In an effort to keep their top talent, many organisations have opted to re-invest in their human capital, that is, the knowledge, level of skills, and abilities of the workforce.
“Following the initial hiring of these employees, companies are now seeking to equip their workforce with the materials needed to grow and develop as benefactor to the growth of the establishment.
“Companies have come to the realisation that investing in their human capital in the form of training and development yields high returns. It is the power of a knowledgeable workforce that can assure the survival of a company.”
A great example of staff development and long- term thinking can be found in this quote from
38 East Midlands Chamber Directory 2018
thrive…
Thomas John Watson Sr, former Head at IBM: “Recently, I was asked if I was going to fire an employee who made a mistake that cost the company $600,000. No, I replied, I just spent $600,000 training him. Why would I want somebody to hire his experience?
This sense of a partnership between employer and employee is almost dating site-esque in its approach, with both parties looking for common ground and evidence that a match is a great long term fit. Staff development and, specifically, training, is clearly a huge driver in harnessing loyalty. The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) states in its Want your staff to stay? Make training a priority document that “Over half (51%) of employers believe a main benefit of improving staff qualifications and skills is increased staff commitment and retention” and that “88% of workers said there was nothing wrong with staying in the same job for long periods, as long as there are opportunities to develop, up from 80% in 2007”.
Learning and development is increasingly seen as a crucial part of an organisation’s strategy, an investment in people that ultimately translates to success and stability for the business. It shows that a tailored career plan and/or training schedule can help workers feel valued and in a career that is upwardly mobile and progressive: that they are in the right place at the right time as far as their careers are concerned. If an employee does indeed choose to leave, there is often an exit interview to ascertain why this decision has been taken and to work out whether a disparity between the values of the employee and the company has occurred and whether anything can be gleaned and taken forward as part of the future recruitment process.
Find, train, retain - just three words - but they can and should be the bedrock of any professional organisation.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152
